Explosion injures two men

A Saturday afternoon explosion and subsequent fire injured two area men at the Goff & Pruitt oilfield shop on Grayville's south side.

White County Sheriff Doug Maier identified the injured men as Larry Perry, 66, and Tony Berger, 43, both of Grayville. Perry was airlifted to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis with major burn injuries. Berger was treated at an Evansville, Ind., hospital for burns on his hands and arms.

A Saturday afternoon explosion and subsequent fire injured two area men at the Goff & Pruitt oilfield shop on Grayville's south side.

White County Sheriff Doug Maier identified the injured men as Larry Perry, 66, and Tony Berger, 43, both of Grayville. Perry was airlifted to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis with major burn injuries. Berger was treated at an Evansville, Ind., hospital for burns on his hands and arms.

Maier said it appeared a wood burning stove had overheated and ignited a nearby acetylene tank. He noted the tank shot from the building when it exploded and landed across the street from the Goff & Pruitt property.

"There are a lot of neighbors around that area," Maier said. "We were fortunate no one else was hurt."

The fire spread quickly through the metal building and several vehicles were damaged. Grayville firefighters received additional help from Crossville firefighters to put out the blaze. It took the firefighters about three hours to finish tamping out all the hot spots.

Firefighters asked for assistance from the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office to confirm the cause of the fire.

Neighbors in the area reported hearing and feeling the blast and added there were a series of secondary explosions. Officials said the secondary explosions were likely vehicle tires blowing up due to the extreme heat.